Space is a terrifying place devoid of oxygen and mercy, and you should never go there. But if you insist on spitting in Death’s eye and forsaking the Mother Earth that raised you, at least do a few dry runs before clambering aboard your flying metal shroud.
SpaceX has released an online simulator allowing you to try docking their Crew Dragon spacecraft with the International Space Station. It appears fairly simple at first glance, with a dozen big grey buttons allowing you to adjust the roll, pitch, and yaw. However, this innocent exterior belies a very difficult task demanding careful precision and an abundance of patience.
Well I was up to 4.3 m from the docking station but my angle was a bit off and don’t let those last few metres fool you – they are the most difficult – as my moves from there resulted in me drifting off. The thing is to really focus on the glide path and not the end goal. The glide path does guide you in.
See SpaceX has released a Crew Dragon simulator, so you can endure the terror of space from home
It’s no Microsoft Flight Simulator, but it’ll do.